Marco Island Academy’s Key Club recently attended the District Education and Leadership Conference (DCON), a multi-day event that brings together Key Club members from across Florida, the Cayman Islands, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Held this spring, DCON celebrates service, leadership, and dedication through workshops, competitions, and award ceremonies.

This year, students proudly represented MIA, participating in workshops, networking with other clubs, and showcasing the projects they have worked on throughout the year. Their dedication and hard work were recognized through impressive awards.

Awards

3rd Place — Key Club Service (Silver Division)

1st Place – Digital Scrapbook

2nd Place – Major Emphasis

2nd Place – Club Video

2nd Place – Signature Service

2nd Place – Single Service (Silver Division)

Governor’s Citation

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)

Kiwanis Family Involvement

Early Bird Dues

Key Club Service

This award recognizes clubs with the highest average number of verified service hours per member, calculated from May through March using official Pride Reports. It highlights exceptional member dedication, strong participation, and a meaningful impact on the community. With over 3,431 total service hours contributed by 50 members MIA’s Key Club exemplified a commitment to service and community engagement.

Digital Scrapbook

This award evaluates how effectively a club captures and promotes its impact, spirit, and involvement throughout the Key Club year through a visual representation of service projects, events, and member engagement. Winning first place at the district level also qualifies the entry to compete at the international level in July.

Major Emphasis

This award recognizes an outstanding service initiative that supports Key Club International’s Major Emphasis, “Children: Their Future, Our Focus,” by promoting the personal development and social well-being of children through impactful and well-organized projects.

Marco Island Academy Key Club earned this recognition through a series of meaningful initiatives, including a UNICEF coin drive, mental health awareness efforts with Erika’s Lighthouse, and both Schoolhouse and in-school tutoring programs. Together, these projects accumulated 134 total service hours, raised $725 for UNICEF’s Start Strong: Zambia campaign, and engaged a large portion of the club in service that directly benefits children both locally and globally.

Club Video

The Club Video Award recognizes a Key Club’s ability to creatively showcase its spirit, service, and member involvement through a short promotional video. It highlights the club’s impact in an engaging visual format, helping others see the dedication and energy behind its projects and events.

Signature Service

This award recognizes a club’s most defining, student-led service project that is sustained over time and creates a meaningful community impact.

Marco Island Academy Key Club received this honor for Wynne’s Warriors Week, a six-year initiative dedicated to raising awareness and funds for Kleefstra Syndrome research, inspired by their Kiwanis advisor’s granddaughter, Wynne. Through events such as bake sales, bracelet sales, and a schoolwide “Purple Out,” the project united over 250 students and raised $562 in support of research efforts.

With full club participation, students took on key roles in planning, promotion, and execution, demonstrating strong leadership and dedication. The project’s consistency, impact, and personal significance continue to make it a defining part of MIA Key Club’s service.

Single Service

This award recognizes an outstanding, one-time service project that demonstrates exceptional planning, execution, and community impact.

Marco Island Academy Key Club earned this recognition for its involvement in the annual Chili Cook-Off, a large-scale community event supporting the Marco Island Fire Rescue Foundation. Through both event participation and volunteer service, members contributed a total of 299 service hours, assisting with setup, cleanup, supply distribution, and guest support for over 1,000 attendees.

Governor’s Citation

A non-application award given to clubs that demonstrate exceptional commitment to district initiatives, often tied to completing significant service hours per member and active participation in the Governor’s Project.

UNICEF

This recognition highlights the club’s commitment to supporting Key Club International’s partnership with UNICEF through fundraising, advocacy, and service. Through participation in the Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF campaign, members helped raise awareness and support for global initiatives benefiting children’s health, education, and development. The club successfully raised $725 through collective efforts and community engagement.

Kiwanis Family Involvement

This award recognizes clubs that demonstrate a strong and sustained partnership within the Kiwanis Family through collaboration, shared service, and active engagement across Kiwanis-affiliated organizations.

Marco Island Academy Key Club earned this recognition through consistent involvement with the Kiwanis Club of Marco Island and its family branches. Throughout the year, members attended Kiwanis meetings, supported joint service projects, and participated in major community events such as the Kiwanis Car Show and Chili Cook-Off, as well as additional collaborative service initiatives.

Early Bird Dues

This recognition is awarded to clubs that submit member dues early, demonstrating strong organization, timely communication, and commitment to maintaining active membership from the start of the service year.

Marco Island Academy Key Club successfully met Early Bird Dues requirements through efficient coordination between club officers and members, ensuring all dues were collected and submitted ahead of deadlines. This achievement reflects the club’s strong internal structure, proactive leadership, and dedication to maintaining full member engagement early in the year.

Moving forward

Beyond the awards, DCON offered members a valuable experience through leadership workshops and opportunities for students to connect with each other. “I felt like DCON was an amazing opportunity to meet new people and learn about leadership. I learned important lessons that I use everyday now!” said this year’s upcoming Club Editor, Brinley Heflin.

Looking ahead, next year’s team hopes to build on this success by applying what they learned at DCON and continuing to expand their impact. With a strong foundation and motivated leadership, MIA Key Club is set to keep bringing light to both the school and the wider community.